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Variability of Electrode Positions Using Electrode Caps

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Abstract

We investigated the variability of electrode positions for a multi-channel, custom electrode cap placed onto participants’ heads without taking scalp measurements. The electrode positions were digitized in a three-dimensional space for 10 young adult participants on three separate occasions. Positional variability was determined for 15 selected electrodes within the three-dimensional preauricular-nasion (PAN) coordinate system and from this system, angular coordinate variability was also determined. The standard deviations of the 15 selected electrodes ranged from 3.0 to 12.7 mm in the PAN system. These data resulted in a variability of 2.0° to 10.4° among the angular coordinates. The measurements indicated slightly greater variability of electrode positions compared to studies when electrodes were placed using scalp measurements. The implication of this study is that the use of electrode caps may not be appropriate when electroencephalographic (EEG) or evoked potential (EP) techniques depend on accurate electrode placement. Additionally, if a longitudinal study is performed, electrode locations should be checked to ensure that they conform with previous sessions.

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Acknowledgements

This study was carried out at The University of Memphis, School of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology. Support for the study was from the Center for Research Initiatives and Strategies for the Communicatively Impaired (CRISCI), a State of Tennessee Center of Excellence Grant, and the Assisi Foundation of Memphis. Portions of the paper were presented at the American Academy of Audiology convention, April 2003, San Antonio, TX. The authors are grateful to Rachel Lintvedt for data entry and reliability checks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, The University of South Dakota, 414 East Clark Street, Vermillion, SD, 57069, USA

    Samuel R. Atcherson

  2. Auditory Electrophysiology Laboratory, The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    Samuel R. Atcherson, Herbert Jay Gould, Monique A. Pousson & Tina M. Prout

  3. Audiology and Speech Language Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO, USA

    Tina M. Prout

Authors
  1. Samuel R. Atcherson
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  2. Herbert Jay Gould
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  3. Monique A. Pousson
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  4. Tina M. Prout
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Correspondence to Samuel R. Atcherson.

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Atcherson, S.R., Gould, H.J., Pousson, M.A. et al. Variability of Electrode Positions Using Electrode Caps. Brain Topogr 20, 105–111 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-007-0036-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10548-007-0036-z

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